Founded in 1797, Deerfield Academy is an independent, coed boarding school in Western Massachusetts for students in grades 9–12. Deerfield also offers a post-graduate year.

An impressive 89% of the faculty hold advanced degrees in their subject areas. Deerfield prepares its students well academically, as evidenced by the fact that the most graduates have attended Yale, Harvard, Dartmouth, Georgetown, and UVA over the past four years. Of particular note is the approach of cultivating personal interests and a sense of community.

The inscription on the Deerfield Academy seal reads: “Be Worthy of Your Heritage.” At Deerfield, it is understood that “heritage” means more than just the legacy of those who came before. It is an all-encompassing identity and set of core values that the community lives by. Respecting and valuing this heritage is the reason for traditions like sit-down meals and the singing of the Evensong, but it is also the reason the Academy reestablished coeducation in 1989 and continues to develop a curriculum and campus to meet the educational demands of the 21st century.

Deerfield also boasts a thriving alumni network of 12,000-plus. Students are required to participate in a co-curricular each term. Financial aid is distributed by way of grants for those who demonstrate financial need; full-need grants cover up to 98% of costs.

•Percentage of students who board: 88%

•Tuition, room, and board: $52,615

•Percentage of students who receive some form of financial aid: 35%

•Notable alumni: Nelson Doubleday, Jr. (publisher), King Abdullah-II al Hussein of Jordan, Michael Glazer (television producer), and Henry W. Kendall (Nobel prize–winning physicist)